Re: In defense of my 'fake' tournament

--- In quizbowl_at_yahoogroups.com, fizzball_gs <no_reply_at_...> wrote:
>
> <<So, your opinion is that>>
> 
> My opinion is that much of the public ranting, particularly 
Weiner's opening post, is about 
> the format war as much as, if not more than, one TD disrespecting 
another. My opinion is 
> that had the conflicting events not been what they were, there 
would be no one calling out 
> swaths of people, no ruminating about trash's relationship to QB, 
no wondering about 
> dangerous precedents and future implications. It would have been 
an isolated regional 
> incident between two TDs. 
> 

I will try and heed my own advice and be civil. I know most of the 
people posting on one side, and this is not a format war. This is 
anger that someone put a lot of work into a packet set, then bent 
over backwards, and enlisted others to bend over backwards as well, 
only to see his work go for naught so that, for instance, list 
tossups on "FPS" computer games could be played over a few rounds, 
before all adjourned earlier than scheduled for a college hockey 
match. Again, I have never had any problem with pop culture 
questions, hell, you may recall I've played at TRASHionals every 
year I've been in school; along well as pretty much every other 
trash event (and every academic event.) This was a case of someone's 
hard work, work that helps ensure the continuation of a functioning 
circuit, being pissed on. The question becomes, what sort of 
incentive is there for those who put lots of effort into pulling 
together a set and event if someone simply up and runs with the 
date? If I were writing a trash-distribution set, or editing one, 
and this situation arose with some guerilla academic event, I would 
feel screwed, especially if it felt like the other side was 
unresponsive to subsequent requests.

> <<us academic folks are just pissy>>
> 
> Yeah, I'll just stop you there. There are of course exceptions, 
but that is precisely my 
> opinion, formed some 10 years ago and reinforced consistently. The 
only variance is the 
> cast of characters, and just what the problem is this week.
>

I've been in both camps for a while, and I don't think knowing the 
TV career of Alison LaPlaca or who Italo Svevo is makes for any kind 
litmus test for the behavioral patterns of human beings. In my time 
playing academic, I've been offered places to stay, discounts when a 
situation arises, understanding if we are having an issue with our 
treasurer. I have allowed teams to play for free, I know others who 
have; I have written questions for others for nothing, and know 
others who have. Just because it isn't always done with a big smile 
doesn't mean the academic circuit is bereft of a knowledge of others.

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